


Why Him?

by Impala_Cherry_Trickster



Series: Merlin Prompts [22]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Bandits & Outlaws, Canon Compliant, Gwaine Being Gwaine (Merlin), Gwaine Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Lancelot being a good bro, M/M, Merlin is a Little Shit, Oblivious Arthur, Secrets, Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:20:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24249457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impala_Cherry_Trickster/pseuds/Impala_Cherry_Trickster
Summary: Lancelot is confused, Gwaine is a complete idiot, what does Merlin see in him?
Relationships: Gwaine/Merlin (Merlin)
Series: Merlin Prompts [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1706692
Comments: 22
Kudos: 481





	Why Him?

**Author's Note:**

> Just a lil one-shot for a Tumblr ask :)

Lancelot was protective of Merlin. He couldn’t help it, ever since he had seen what Merlin did for the entirety of Camelot, he had decided it was his duty to protect him. Like a little brother he’d never actually wanted, not until he met Merlin. Such a brave man, and the more he learnt, the more he wanted to keep him safe. Poison, High Priestesses, Dragons, it all sounded far more than he’d signed up for when he’d become a Knight.

Then again, he had never thought his best friend would be a sorcerer. As he began to look after Merlin, he noted how the man began to trust him in return, talking to him about his issues. He’d mention what he’d been doing during the week, would talk of destiny and the burden resting on his shoulders. Each time he opened up, Lancelot just grew more protective, he was determined to make sure that nobody hurt his little brother.

Gwaine appeared. A man that drunk more than the entire Tavern combined, that had a sharp tongue and no respect for nobility. Where Lancelot served Arthur on a bent knee, Gwaine snapped and taunted. Lancelot would turn up to training early, and Gwaine would come late with his armour scruffy and his hair a mess. Addressing Arthur, it was always Sire, or Prince, or milord. Gwaine called him Princess, mocked him at every turn, and was downright disrespectful.

Yet Merlin liked him. Lancelot watched in confusion as the two bonded, as Merlin bailed Gwaine out again and again, as they walked around Camelot together. It was utterly baffling, made no sense at all, why would Merlin trust somebody with no morals? With no pride in the fact he was a Knight of Camelot? He was sure Gwaine would end up hurting Merlin, that Lancelot would have to pick up the pieces.

It was on a Hunt, when Lancelot finally realised why Merlin trusted Gwaine. The Knight was joking about, being a usual menace, before Lancelot caught sight of some tracks off to the side.

The alarm went up, Lancelot drawing his sword and dismounting in one smooth movement. It was a rush, bandits charging the area and Lancelot caught up in the rush of adrenaline. This was the part he loved, where he got to protect the future King of Camelot, the man that Merlin had such faith in. When Lancelot finished dispatching of one of the men, he realised he hadn't seen Merlin in a while. He took a moment to glance around, caught sight of the flash of golden in the usually-blue eyes.

He was not the only one that had noticed. Gwaine was watching, his sword drawn, and Lancelot prepared himself for the moment where Merlin would be outed. Instead, Gwaine charged past the sorcerer, barrelled into a bandit that would have otherwise managed to get a hit on him.

They took care of the rest of the bandits easily, Arthur taking stock of all of them and his eyes finally landing on Merlin.

‘How is it that you always manage to escape when bandits appear?’ Lancelot waited, but Gwaine said nothing, keeping a secret he had no reason to keep.

‘Because I have the ability to think sensibly, unlike you, prat.’ There it was, a name that Lancelot would never dare call the future-King, but Gwaine was laughing and patting Merlin’s shoulder.

It was in that moment that he understood what Merlin saw in Gwaine, and in return, what Gwaine saw in Merlin. It was a friendship, like theirs, only Gwaine didn’t view Arthur in the same high-prestige that Lancelot did. In fact, if it wasn’t for Merlin, Lancelot doubted that the man would even be here.

So, later, when he was on patrol and caught sight of Merlin sneaking from his own room, just to take the path towards Gwaine’s room, Lancelot made sure to pretend he had seen nothing.


End file.
